December 8, 2013

Wilson’s Apology

Chip Wilson Apologizes for the “Repercussions of His Actions”

Following his interview with Bloomberg TV, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson found himself needed to apologize. During the interview, Wilson commented on the recall of the company’s “see-through” yoga pants, and stated that it wasn’t due to faulty material, but rather, “it’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it.”

Three days later, Lululemon posted a video on their Facebook page and YouTube channel, which displayed a teary-eyed Wilson apologizing for the outcomes of his statements. “I’m sad, I’m really sad,” Wilson said. “I’m sad for the people of Lululemon who I care so much about, that have really had to face the brunt of my actions.” The short, fifty-three second video was followed by even more scrutiny from news media and the Facebook community, as the half-hearted apology was referred to as “bizarre”, “a disaster”, and one of the “worst apologies ever”. Rather than taking responsibility for his comments and pleading for his valued customers forgiveness, Wilson seemed to only apologize to his employees for having to deal with this negative attention. There was no explanation for his comments about women being the reason behind the faulty products, or any reference to a feeling of remorse for what he said.

The act of Wilson issuing an apology video is an example of Situational Theory. This theory involves acknowledging that not all stakeholders communicate equally, and highlights the importance of identifying publics as active or passive so as to specially target appropriate messages to these groups in order to meet their needs. There are three variables involved in the situational theory, which allow for the prediction of when publics will seek and evaluate information. These include problem recognition, constraint recognition, and level of involvement.

By recognizing that not everyone would be in agreement with his comments, it was evident that Wilson would need to issue some sort of apology statement after what was said in his interview. Due to the high level of involvement and personal offense that would come as a result of Wilson’s reference of “thigh-rubbing”, it was decided that Wilson’s public address would be released on Facebook and YouTube; both highly populated social media outlets that would allow for millions of viewers to both watch and leave their comments on the video.

Lululemon and Chip Wilson could have approached this situation in a different manor, as the overall effect of Wilson’s apology video is seen as a public relations failure. There was a definite need for crisis management, as his comments during the television interview turned out to be offensive to many women. A businessman should never suggest that his customers are the problem. Rather than take responsibility, Wilson blamed those using his product, which required the need for public relations actions to effectively deal with the backlash that would soon follow.

Although the apology was necessary and done in a timely manner, the format of the video and distribution through Facebook was a questionable strategy. While Facebook does allow for a large audience to access the content, it also gives users an open platform for posting negative comments. Lululemon encouraged a “conversation”, yet this only fueled the fire behind angry customers. Many of the comments left under the video referred to the lack of sincerity and overall misread of content, which suggests that a written statement or some other form of apology could have been a better route.

Furthermore, much of the criticism surrounding the apology video pointed to the fact that Wilson seemed to only apologize to his employees, rather than those he offended with his comments. If he did want to apologize to his employees, he could have done so in a separate form of communication. A separate apology would then need to be made to his customers, and could address how he would work to mend these relationships with the public and move forward in a positive direction.